I drew this card today and had a sudden thought of a poem I had read a long time ago (by Christopher Logue)

Come to the edge.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
It's too high!
COME TO THE EDGE!
And they came
And he pushed
And they flew.

I think it sums this card up perfectly for me, we all suffer from fear sometimes, but if we let our fear hold us back, and never take any risks, we will never be aware of our true potential or what we are actually capable of.

Our fool is a baby chick perched on a tree branch, one foot stretched out as though he is about to step off. It’s a unique depiction, but a nod to the classic Rider-Waite portrayal of the Fool heading toward a cliff ledge.

Buds and blossoms are unfolding on the tree branch. It is spring-time, and the world is brimming with new life. Even the chick himself is a form of fresh, invigorating energy – a spring chicken. Possibilities are bursting forth everywhere!

The sky above is orange and yellow. The sun is just starting to climb into the sky. This brings to mind the metaphoric resonance of ‘the dawn of a new day.’ The Fool is not concerned with yesterday or tomorrow – he is immersed in the now. And it is always the now, as one moment gives way to the next. The sunrise gives the card a sense of adventure – where might this new day, this fresh blooming energy, take us?

The chick and the branch are black and white. The bright white of the branch makes it look charged with pure energy. The bright colors of the dawn fade in the lower portion of the card, giving way to black lines. We can’t know what is in the black void – the Fool is literally heading out into the Wild Unknown.

As I’ve been studying the Wild Unknown tarot deck as a whole, I’ve noticed an interesting use of lines throughout the cards. In the Fool, the sky is lined horizontally. These static, horizontal lines seem to me to represent energy that is still free-flowing – the energy is there, but hasn’t yet been guided into a particular direction. This fits in well with the notion of the Fool representing untamed, universal energy.

This card shows the classic conundrum of the Fool. Sometimes we perceive him as naïve, unprepared as he begins his journey. For better or for worse, the Fool is not yet burdened by over-thinking. But that is only one limited view. Another dimension of the Fool teaches that sometimes we need to trust our deep instincts and set out, having faith that life will support our leap.

Beautifully stated, Happyfish! Thanks for your insightful input on this card -- and glad you're enjoying The Wild Unknown (as am I). I appreciate your comment about the background lines. I'll have to revisit a number of cards with that in mind.

I was wondering wat kind of bird this would be. In the first place I thought it was a swan or a duck, but then I noticed that it couldn't be an aquatic bird because of the feet - they are not webbed. Also, the element of the Fool is air, so in my opinion it had to be a flying bird.

I like to think of this Fool as a pigeon chick.

In western symbolism, the white pigeon stands for peace, purity and simplicity. In Egyptian symbolism, pigeons stand for innocence.

Many birds are a bit shy and cautious. But not the pigeon. The pigeon just goes, a bit cheeky, tries to get close to people and objects, although it might be dangerous. You can hear the comforting sound of pigeons all day long, but the ‘rocou’ sound peaks at sunrise. They cheer for the new day to start, full of new experiences and surprises. The vibrant colors of the card reminds me of a beautiful sunrise as well.

To me personally, pigeons remind me of my childhood. The first six years of my life, my bedroom was very close to a pigeons nest (they make awesome untidy nests with a lot of nonchalant placed branches). Every morning, I woke up with their sound, knowing that the new day had started and that I could come out of bed to wake up my parents. This card is closely related to my own time of foolishness, innocence and childish courage

I agree with everything that has been said so far. I would just like to add that I think a chick will always take the leap - launch itself off the branch. Even if it sits there cheeping for a bit eventually it will go - it never says to itself 'I don't fancy that at all I think I'll just grow up and live in my nest for ever' and so the Fool will always set off on his journey - it's inevitable.
I like this card.

One of the first things I noticed about this card is, this Fool is nowhere near ready to fly. Look at those delicate, downy wings. It doesn't have any flight feathers yet! It has no way to catch the wind with its wings. Its flight attempt is doomed, before it even begins. Yet it's going to try, anyway.

I read this quote by Pema Chodron today,

"To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again."

I immediately thought of this card. The Fool is willing to risk death in order to fully live, in order to fly. It doesn't care that it's not ready. And I thought of all the things I don't do, because I think I'm not ready for them. But when will I be ready? You don't learn to fly by sitting on a branch. You don't grow, when all you can think about are past mistakes and future risks.

Like happyfish said, the Fool is not burdened by over-thinking. It's time to be in the moment, like that little chick. Time to try living fully, time to fly... knowing that I may belly-flop instead, but will get back up on that branch and try again.

What a fabulous interpretation of this card, Laura Borealis. I greatly appreciate that Pema Chodron quote -- it's perfect for this Fool. "Living in the moment" (per the Buddhist understanding of this statement) seems quite apropos for this little birdie, as does the idea of taking a huge risk in order to live fully. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" is yet another way to see this card.

You've helped me explore this particular Fool (one of my favorite cards in this deck) in a wonderfully fresh way. Thank you so much!

Everything you all wrote is so true! If I could add my small vision, as a new reader, I think that since, as one of you pointed, it is obvious that the bird will fly and not stay in the nest all his life, then it makes me think that it is in our sacred nature to be confident and to advance into unknown adventures. It is our very purpose in life. Some will die upon trying, but it is our call as living creatures. Thank you all for sharing and enlightening each other.

What I noticed is that it stick out it's right leg, the right side is the action one, the left one is still in oneness, grounded within it's source, purity, nest.
One side still connected with it's origin, one side reaching out to life, the new, the adventure, the unknown, soul versus a being, energy versus form, taking that step into life itself

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